Jj is for Jottings 90.  The Effects of Screen Time on Children.

 

By now, there have been many studies done on the effects of screen time on children.  My own observations on this subject are here and here.  And here is an article on parental concerns about screen time.  So, let’s have a look at some of the recent research.

SCREEN TIME AND EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE DELAYS.

Many parents these days use smartphones and tablets as baby-sitters.  You might want to think twice before doing this.

The University of Toronto’s findings:  The more time a child spent in front of an electronic screen, the greater their risk of expressive speech delays.  (This is the ability to accurately express his or her wants and needs).  Nearly 900 children ages 6 months to 2 years old participated in the study. Parents reported their child’s average screen time. Researchers then assessed each child’s language development using the Infant Toddler Checklist (ITC).  (This is a questionnaire for detecting expressive speech delay and other communication issues.)

They found that for each 30 minutes of screen time, 49% of children had an increased risk of expressive speech delay. The actual length of time spent on screens was measured.  By their 18-month check-ups, 20% of the children used a handheld device for an average of 28 minutes.

Developmental psychopathology expert Prof Lynne Murray, of the University of Reading: A lot of screen material is not well designed for a child’s cognitive processes.  Loud and fast-changing stimulation grabs attention, but does not help processing.

 

SCREEN TIME AND CHANGES IN BRAIN CHEMICALS.

In addition to the main family television, for example, many very young children have their own bedroom TV (see televisions in children’s bedrooms).  They also have portable hand-held computer game consoles (eg, Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox), smartphone with games, internet and video, a family computer and a laptop and/or a tablet computer (eg iPad).  (They’d be fresh out of luck in this household – we have only television and a computer!)

An English researcher, Dr. Sigman, says that prolonged screen time can lead to reductions in attention span because of its effects on the brain chemical dopamine.  Dopamine is produced in response to ‘screen novelty’.

It is a key component of the brain’s reward system and implicated in addictive behaviour and the inability to pay attention.

‘Screen addiction’ is increasingly being used by physicians to describe the growing number of children engaging in screen activities in a dependent manner,” Dr Sigman says.

 

PHYSICAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF SCREEN TIME.

There are many published studies suggesting links between prolonged screen time and heart disease, stroke and diabetes.  University of Michigan researchers studied more than 1,000 sixth graders from 24 middle schools in southeast Michigan. They found that children who had more screen time snacked more often and tended to choose less healthy snacks.

Prolonged screen time also leads to short-sightedness (myopia), already a prevalent problem in children. There was a two-year study by Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong Paediatric Foundation. This involved more than 5,000 schoolchildren aged between five and 19.  Findings were that about 70% did not maintain the correct minimum distance from the eyes to the screen.  Here is a little story on this very topic.

The recommended distance is at least 50cm from notebooks and computers, at least 40cm for tablets or ebook readers, and at least 30cm for smartphones.

SCREEN TIME AND PSYCHO-SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

In addition to ‘screen addiction’ mentioned above, there is also the risk of ‘Facebook depression’. This develops when young people spend excessive time on social media and begin to exhibit the classic symptoms of depression.

WHAT IS APPROPRIATE SCREEN TIME?

Back to Professor Lynne Murray, who said that the adverse effects of screen experience on the cognitive development of children under 3 is well-established. The US Paediatric Association for example has recommended no screen time before this age.”

For older children it should be no more than 2 hours per day.  This includes watching TV.   Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (sic – pity they can’t spell their own name) updated its recommendations for children’s screen time.  It suggested keeping media devices out of children’s bedrooms, keeping family routines like mealtimes screen-free, and setting screen-free days for the whole family.

Limiting screen time is the obvious answer to all of this, and that is a potential minefield for parents.  Some suggestions will be made in a later article.

 

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